Conquest –

A Martyr For My Love For You –

Alright, so no usual photos for this blog post (I’m grabbing some random ones from the internet this time) because my normal photo-taking device, my phone, completely died… 🙁
That combined with the fact that I’m writing this entry from a coffee shop in Denver means I don’t have access to the record to take another picture (I recorded the vinyl and took pictures before I left). I’ll look into replacing these photos eventually though. Now, on to the music!

Icky Thump (2007), White Stripes. The sixth and final album by the Detroit rock duo, and my personal favorite record by them 😀

The White Stripes consisted of Jack White and Meg White, who are often mistakenly thought to be siblings, but no thanks to them. When they first released their material it was as a “brother and sister duo” and to this day Jack refers to Meg as his sister in interviews. However, they were actually husband and wife, with John Gillis (Jack) adopting Meg’s last name of “White” in a role reversal. This along with other “facts” about Jack’s life have helped define his slightly eccentric character.

Coming from a Graphic Designer perspective, one of the things Jack White does really, really, and I mean really well, is branding. The White Stripes career was defined by the simple color scheme of red, white, and black. This provided a cohesive, overall visual style that linked all their work together. Even as their sound and music shifted between albums (or songs), this unifying color scheme connected the dots between musical genres that would be near impossible to imagine side-by-side. This idea of visual importance came from Jack’s belief that people really need to “see” music in the same way they “hear” it, and that strong visuals help solidify superb music. It’s for a combination of these reasons that led to a short, yet spotless discography that is extremely impressive when compared alongside most bands.

Each White Stripe album often represents a different shift in tone or focus, musically speaking. While Icky Thump may not represent the sharpest change (that award would have to go their fifth album Get Behind Me Satan), I would argue that it possibly shows off the largest range of the many influences upon the band. Ranging from their traditional foot-stomping beats, to their country and bluegrass roots, to the more exotic sounds of bagpipes and Spanish trumpets, to the gritty, familiar garage rock tunes. Overall though, the Blues is the genre that dominates the majority of this album (similar to how Folk encompassed most of their previous album).

The first song posted here, “Conquest”, features those trumpets I mentioned which bring to mind visions of matadors and Spain. There’s some impressive interplay between Jack on his guitar and the trumpets midway through the song. While jumping from the chorus into the verses the song shifts from a fast-paced rock number to a full tango. “A Martyr For My Love For You”, an excellent blues rock tune, features a much more serious tone with its lyrics than the more playful “Conquest”. Its lyrics are told from the first-person perspective of someone who loves a girl, but decides it is better to walk away from the relationship. He ultimately believes that he will eventually hurt or disappoint her. While possibly just a song, it is hard not to envision Jack White as the direct speaker of this story especially when you consider his other rather shaky relationships over the years and the many accounts of how hard it is to deal with him sometimes. Musically, the song goes from quiet to loud abruptly and then back again to quiet when entering and exiting the chorus, helping to drive home the tension and pain of the lyrics.

Even with the White Stripes officially disbanded, Jack White continues to play, both in bands and by himself. So if you run out of White Stripes stuff to listen to, remember there’s always The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, or his (as of now) two solo albums. Happy listening! ^^

Jim –

Coat (1992 Version) –

Alright, a little later in the day this Monday than I would prefer, but here’s this week’s LP!

Ambivalence (2012), The Pin Group. Once again, another band new to me that will probably also be new to you! This time we’re flying to the other side of the world, all the way from Sweden to New Zealand 😀

The Pin Group. A band formed in 1981 Dunedin, New Zealand by Roy Montgomery, Peter Stapleton, and Ross Humphries. They would only release two 7″ singles, an EP, and then a reunion single in ’92. Their first single would be the very first record issued from the indie record label “Flying Nun Records” (with their second single as the third issued record). This would launch the beginning of a genre known as “Dunedin Sound” that would dominate the New Zealand music scene during the 80s. Music from this era was largely “lo-fi” in nature with bands using low quality recording equipment (often emphasized even more by placing microphones on the other side of the room to pickup muddled echos). While punk esthetics are clearly noticeable through the simple, yet fast bass lines and loose drumming, the overall sound differed quite a bit. Because of New Zealand’s seclusion from most of the world, the main punk scene (which was at it’s height at this time) was mostly unknown to New Zealanders. This led the genre to be largely influenced by the early Beatles (in the guitar playing), and most significantly (and surprisingly) by The Velvet Underground. The band R.E.M. (a pioneer of the Alternative Rock genre) would go on to site the “Dunedin Sound” as an important influence on their music style.

While other “Dunedin Sound” acts like The Chills, The Dead C, and The Clean became more successful, The Pin Group’s few, limited releases have proven extremely valuable and important over the years. Their album covers, designed and screen printed by Ronnie van Hout, mimicked and even rivaled that of Andy Warhol (the designer behind The Velvet Underground). Copies of the Coat single were made with 8 different cover variations. Most of their records are now worth hundreds of dollars due to their rarity, stellar visual design, and unique audio quality. This particular album is actually a 2012 limited repressing, and slightly-different-sequenced version of the 1997 CD that collected all their recordings in one place. This album is available for download on their Bandcamp homepage.

I was regretfully torn between literally every song on this solid album when it came to choosing only two songs, but I think I’m satisfied with these two options. Before you ask if there was something wrong with the recording, remember, these are supposed to be “lo-fi” with the vocals often mumbled and placed deep, deep into the mix. “Jim”, the album’s opening tune, was originally the B-side of the Coat 7″ single. It perfectly captures the magic of drone-rock by holding a single chord for just too long to be comfortable. It slowly, constantly builds from the very beginning until reaching a peak before dropping off suddenly and finishing on a softer note. The second tune “Coat”, occasionally title “Coat 2″, is fittingly the album’s closing tune. This version is not the A-side of the 7” single, but instead the A-side for the brief reunion single recorded 11 years later. And while I think I prefer the more raw and faster original version, the added harmonies and subtle changes this version brings make for a great reinterpretation.

So let’s finish this slightly lengthy entry with the back cover of the album. This is actually why I originally picked up the album. While browsing through the record store’s used collection I came across the black matte cover that features glossy black helicopters on the front. I thought it was cool, but I was more intrigue by the high-contrast color pressing of a still shot of Illya and Solo (the main characters from the 60s spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E.). A show I’m pretty fond of, but still fairly surprised at most mentions of it (even after the recent Guy Ritchie film). Anyways my curiosity at the album’s use of the artwork is what ultimately led me to buy this album. So, in a way, I guess I have that awesome show to thank for introducing me to the amazing world of “Dunedin Sound” and the talented Pin Group xD

Are We Running Out Of Love? –

Furry White –

After my long break from LP Mondays, a lot has changed in my vinyl collection. However, there has been one significant factor in shaping my ever growing stash of records that I have to touch on. And that’s where this week’s LP comes from.

Skogens Frukter (2017), Daniel Norgren. An album printed and distributed by the online vinyl subscription service called Vinyl Me, Please. More about that at the end of this blog.

Daniel Norgren is a musician based out of Sweden and normally accompanied with a small band of one or two others. He has been releasing material since 2007, but none of it has ever made it stateside in an official physical release. Sure, you can go watch some excellent live versions of his tunes played in Brussels or have a copy of one his albums shipped from Sweden, but this compilation album was largely his break into the U.S. market back in May.

In the past few months since I discovered Norgren, he has easily topped my list of new artists for me to watch. Even though I’ve listened to a large sum of his work (multiple times now), I’m still left mostly speechless when anyone asks me to describe his music or compare him to another artist. At his core, “folk” is how I would generally describe his style. However, he constantly undermines your expectations by easing in several different sounds into his tunes. Whether it’s a touch of blues when he breaks out his harmonica, or a ballad with him at the helm on the piano, or the playfulness of his accordion (often ironically placed against bittersweet lyrics), or the other-worldliness of the organ numbers, or the lengthy jam sessions on his electric guitar. Norgren’s music somehow feels simultaneously old and deeply rooted in the past, and yet fresh and completely new.

The album title, Skogens Frukter is Swedish, meaning “Forest Fruits”. The album is something of a mixtape of Norgren’s greatest hits plus a few new, yet unreleased tracks. Printed on “Northern Lights Marble” and limited to 1000 copies (mine is numbered 260), it proved an excellent way for me to jump-start my initial interest in Norgren.

The song “Are We Running Out Of Love?” is both simple and profound in its statement. Its verses muse over different facts, such as “you give love when you get love”, and that at that moment – that moment of “love” – is when we are truly happy. The chorus then follows these statements with a question. How long will it take for everyone to experience love? And if more people aren’t experiencing love, then “Are We Running Out Of Love?”

The album’s closing song, “Furry White”, is one of the new songs released for the first time on record. It’s a little different than some of his other work. The track is nearly silent, save for a constant low hum of a synth and the occasional improvisations of a higher synth part (which almost mimics the sound of distant bagpipes). The track is calming and one can almost envision the northern lights dancing along the night sky as you listen to the tune.

—

Alright, that’s about all I have to say on the record itself (and sheesh! was it a lot!), so let’s talk briefly about Vinyl Me, Please. I subscribed back in June, and boy, have I enjoyed it! I’ve discovered an impressive array of music through them, and they never cease to amaze me with their selections. Apart from the monthly vinyl LP sent your way, they have an impressive online store (which is available to even non-members, with a few select titles, discounts, and free shipping for members). If you’re into vinyl collecting, or just a music lover with a turntable, I’d HIGHLY suggest checking out Vinyl Me, Please!

One of the reasons, I chose Skogens Frukter is definitely to highlight the subscription service I’ve recently enjoyed, but also because Norgren’s very first U.S. tour begins this Friday. This is something I wouldn’t miss for anything, so I’m heading down to Denver to see what he’s like live. Go check out the tour dates to see if he’s coming to a city near you! (Most of the tickets I saw were really cheap)
->Daniel Norgren U.S. Tour<-

Can You Understand –

Carpet of the Sun –

Alright. This is it. My record player really has kicked the bucket by the sound of it.

R.I.P. Mr. Record Player 🙁

Just listening to these recordings kinda hurts my ears. I tried my best to sprinkle some editing magic on them, but to very little reward. I’m posting these as a kind of final note and partial example of how it’s fallen. Trust me, you really don’t wanna hear what these sound like before I did what little bit of editing I did do o_O NOTE: I have rerecorded these songs on a new record player.

The sounds these two recordings desperately try to imitate is that from the album Live at Carnegie Hall (1976), by the band Renaissance. Please, I would heavily encourage you to go hear these songs elsewhere like Spotify or YouTube in their full glory.

Renaissance was yet another band to come out of the English powerhouse that was The Yardbirds. Both the lead singer and drummer behind The Yardbirds founded the initially unsuccessful group and they would actually leave the band shortly after its incarnation. This all took place before what is known as the “classic” lineup was established, which would see Annie Haslam take on the role as the main lead singer with her iconic 5-octave vocal range. Renaissance’s sound from this period would often be compared to Yes or Emerson, Palmer, and Lake, but would contain notable differences (a female lead singer and significant bass parts for starters).

This album, recorded in concert in 1975, was during the height of their success as the “classic” lineup. It featured songs from their previous three albums, plus one track from their newest (as of then) unreleased album (which would actually hit stores before this live album was available). Frankly my favorite tune off of this album is “Ashes are Burning” which is a long, but gorgeous tune with a large amount of musical improv during this particular performance (especially from Jon Camp, the bass player!). Considering the shape my record player is in though, I decided not to ruin my favorite tune (well that and the fact that the song is around the 24 minute mark also factored in I suppose).

The songs I did choose are still extremely excellent in their own right though. The first one is “Can You Understand” which is one of their more popular tunes. It excellently weaves around the different “rock” instruments as they reveal a much more classical approach to their music. The other song is “Carpet of the Sun” which is a nice sweeping piece that makes full use of the accompanying orchestra. Lyrically it focuses on the beauty of the world around us and encouraging you to look closer at its majestic nature. Both are very mystical in their sound and lyrics, which would characterize most of Renaissance’s work over the years.

Well…this is Monday LPs calling it quits…
…or at least until I get a new record player >.<

Fun, Fun, Fun –

Don’t Worry Baby –

Back on schedule! But for how long??? O.O

Shut Down Volume 2 (1964), The Beach Boys. This was a no brainer. Sunday I got the amazing opportunity to see Brian Wilson live and I’ve been hooked on Beach Boys for the past week. Sadly apart from a live album, this is the only album I have on vinyl by them…but still, what an album!

The Beach Boys got their start mostly as a family band. It consisted of the Wilson brothers Brian, Carl, and Dennis, their father as their manager, their cousin Mike Love, and their close friend Al Jardine. The lineup would slightly change over the years, but most of their music consisted of tunes created by Brian with lyrics written by Mike. Brian would also produce a large portion of The Beach Boys records for several years. Their early music would come to shape and define surf rock by fusing the rock and roll of Chuck Berry and the multi-part harmonies of bands like the Four Freshmen. Their later works would dive into more avant-garde fields and complex arrangements that would really push the envelope in the music industry.

This particular album came right at the beginning of Beatlemania, and would end up holding its ground during the rush of the British Invasion. The record hit before the Beach Boys and The Beatles rivalry became a thing; a friendly competitive spirit that would drive both bands to really strive to release some of their best work. It followed their previous record Little Deuce Coup, another album arguably ahead of its time, which is sometimes pointed to as the “first” concept album (and I’ve already said plenty about concept albums before). Shut Down Volume 2 is oddly named because the album Shut Down already existed, but it was not exactly a Beach Boys album. It is a compilation album that featured several different “hot rod” tunes. The biggest name on the record happened to be the Beach Boys, so they used the name of their song on the album as the album title, which was “Shut Down”

Alright, so maybe I didn’t get too creative with my song choices off this album (since I chose the two really famous tracks), but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth while! The first one is “Fun, Fun, Fun” which was originally titled “Run, Run, Run” and if you know the tune you can see how it would still work. The lead vocals on this one are handled by Mike, which was more characteristic of their faster tunes or the lower base parts. The second one is “Don’t Worry Baby” with the lead part done in Brian’s recognizable falsetto voice. The song provides an interesting contrast against “I Get Around” (which it was fittingly released with as a single), which presents a carefree depiction of a teen “living the life.” Whereas “Don’t Worry Baby” is more sad in tone and hints at danger as the singer must reluctantly take place in a race because he bragged too much about his car.

On a side note, my record player is practically dead. It is considerably worse than last week and I really don’t even listen to records anymore because it’s gotten so bad. This week’s Monday LP needed to be heavily edited to be listenable, which isn’t a terrible thing, but I feel you can hear it a little more in my poor editing skills. So not sure if I’m gonna be taking a break from these for awhile. We’re just gonna have to take it week by week o_o NOTE: I have rerecorded these songs on a new record player.

No Milk Today –

East West –

This week’s Monday LP is…HEY! Today’s Tuesday!! >:O

So my record player has been slowly dying over the past few weeks. If you have a sharp ear, you might have noticed that some of the songs have been a little slower than they are supposed to be and occasionally slow down even more during certain segments of the track. Well now my record player just straight up plays everything slow, noticeably slow. At first my reaction was to put the Monday LPs on the back-burner till I get a new record player, but I came up with an alternative. Since I have GarageBand on my Mac, I thought I could learn a few skills with it to do some minor edits on the songs. All I really needed to do was speed up the songs, so that wasn’t a major project anyways. The result may not be perfect, but I feel that it’s at least satisfactory. NOTE: I have rerecorded these songs on a new record player.

Now on the music!

There’s A Kind Of Hush All Over The World (1967), The Herman’s Hermits. And now we’re back to British invasion bands 😀

The Herman’s Hermits were another one of those (fairly short-lived) British Invasion bands. The band had a very clean-cut image, which was much different than say The Kinks or The Rolling Stones. They had an interesting band career with little success in the UK in the mid-60s, but a solid fan base in the US. Come late 60s though and the popularity flipped; not selling well in the US, but doing well in the UK. While they didn’t really record any new material after the 70s, most of the band still tours to this day doing small shows all over.

The songs listed here include “No Milk Today” which is a clever little “love-lost” song. The title and main hook refer to a sign that the main singer leaves to the milkman for less milk after his lover has moved and left him. There’s this cool relation between the somber verses in a minor key and the more hopeful, upbeat chorus wrote in the complementing major key. Also cool fact that this is one of the songs produced by John Paul Jones before he joined Led Zeppelin. The other song is “East West” (sometimes written “East-West”). This is a song quite simply about a young boy band that’s found success and is touring the world, but can’t help thinking and longing for home.

I was really torn about what songs to choose off this record because there are so many good ones. The song that came in a solid third place though was their cover of The Kinks song “Dandy” which I might enjoy just a little more than the original. Both songs I did choose though are written by the same songwriter, Graham Gouldman. Gouldman would write several songs for the Herman’s Hermits and other British bands of the British Invasion era before joining the art pop band 10cc in the 70s (there’s another unique band I would highly recommend and hope to feature sometime).

Mom Always Liked You Best –

Tattoo Song –

Jut before we close in on LP 20, I thought I’d mix things up again with a comedy album this time.

Mom Always Liked You Best! (1965), by the Smothers Brothers. A comedy duo that I have grown extremely fond of over the years. From being able to sing their whole song “My Old Man” as a kid (for better or worse) to now owning several of their records.

The Smothers Brothers consist of the real-life brothers Richard “Dick” and Thomas “Tom” Smothers. Tom, the older of the two, played a fairly hot-tempered, “slow” character, while Dick took on the traditional role of the straight man. They marketed themselves as a folk duo with a side of comedy that seemed to steal the show. Their performances would include traditional folk songs (often with Tom butting in or messing up) and sometimes so more standup material alongside their songs. While most of their act can easily be appreciated on a record through just sound, they offered a lot for the visual performance too. I would highly suggest you seek out some video footage of one of their acts if you enjoyed what you heard.

The album Mom Always Liked You Best! was their last album before their ill-fated show “The Smothers Brothers Show” (not to be confused with their later successful, yet controversial, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”). The title track of the album was a further exploration of Tom’s famous comeback line. Whenever he was utterly stumped or backed into a corner because of something silly he had said, he would often respond with, “Mom Always Liked You Best!” I included the other song, “Tattoo Song”, on here as well to give you an idea of what one of their “songs” might sound like. It’s also a good example of an act where Tom tries his best to sound smarter than he really is and just ends up making it worse for himself.

Eulogy To Oscar Romero-

Nostalgia-

The music has been a little harder recently, so let’s go somewhere else…

Individual Choice (1983), by Jean-Luc Ponty. A man whose work I am still fairly new to, but I’ve been mesmerized since then.

If you didn’t guess by the name, Jean-Luc Ponty hails from France. A master on the violin, he was accepted into one of the most esteemed college’s for music in France at the young age of 16 and graduated with the highest honors offered in only two years! He would then perform in orchestras for a couple years before leaving that life behind in pursuit of jazz during the early 60s; however, he wouldn’t leave behind his violin. Ponty took the unusual approach to jazz with a violin, and was able to accomplish this by focusing on horn parts with be-bop phrasings. It’s been said that there was no one that truly sounded like Ponty before him. A similar recent example would be the work of the YouTube star Lindsey Stirling. Just like her “dub-step violin” there really wasn’t a market for “jazz violin” before Ponty (apart from something like Duke Ellington’s Orchestra).

One of the first Ponty albums I came across was this one, Individual Choice. Since then I’ve added several of his albums to my collection. I find his music beautiful and extremely relaxing. It’s my go-to if I ever need anything calm for background noise and may have actually found its way onto my record player just as often as anything else while I was drawing. This album, like most of Ponty’s late 70s and 80s albums, includes a healthy amount of synthesizer, which is also performed by Ponty.

The first song, “Eulogy To Oscar Romero”, was written to honor the influential life of Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez. Romero was the Archbishop of San Salvador (the capital of El Salvador) and heavily spoke out against poverty, social injustice, and the violence that had engulfed his country through civil war. In 1980 he was shot and killed during mass and is now listed as a martyr for the Roman Catholic Church. This song was Ponty’s way of paying tribute to this man and what he stood for. “Nostalgia”, while still mellow in tone and title, was much lighter overall. Its non-stop synth part provides the baseline for the song while the guitar and violin are free to accompany as they see fit.

I Want You To Want Me-

Goodnight Now-

Alright it’s been way too long since I posted a live album (since the first LP!). So here’s a good one…

Cheap Trick at Budokan (1978), by Cheap Trick. Wow! Talk about a live album! The album based on Cheap Trick’s performance at the Nippon Budokan during their sold out Japan tour.

Starting out as a small little band from Illinois, Cheap Trick was initially meet with some decent critic reviews, but hardly any success when it came to sales numbers or hits. Well, that is no success in their home country. Europe seemed to like them pretty well, and in Japan…well…let’s just say they were labeled the “American Beatles” by the Japanese press! All three of their albums had gone Gold in sales numbers and Japan’s youth were obsessed with the band members in the same way American girls had gone crazy for those Liverpool lads the previous decade.

Cheap Trick at Budokan was the result of their highly successful tour in 1978. After not getting anywhere back in the states, they were suggested to go play in Japan. They knew their records had sold fairly well there, but they were completely caught off guard when they were greeted with the same ear-piercing screams the Beatles had experienced. Just listening to this record is proof enough! After this album’s immediate financial success upon release, Epic records quickly put together an imported release for the US in 1979.

“I Want You To Want Me” is definitely one of their more recognizable tunes with this particular live version garnering the most airplay on radios. A fairly simple late 70s and 80s love song, but still an extremely catchy song in its own right. “Goodnight Now” is their closing tune for their concert (followed, of course, by an encore song). You might recognize their opening song “Hello There,” which is an excellent song to pump things up for the beginning of a performance. “Goodnight Now” is merely the same song with a few lyrical changes to more appropriately relate to finishing a show (plus a huge ending for kicks).

Overall it does everything I like about live albums. It captures the excitement of the crowd, the fun enjoyment of the band, and some stellar performances of the songs themselves. It may not feature some of the more excited improves from live albums by bands like Led Zeppelin or The Band, but the emotion between the band and crowd is executed flawlessly with this record. I’d really suggest giving the whole performance a listen through ^^

Whole Lotta Love –

Moby Dick –

Alright, figured I’d try to do a famous band every 8 LPs or so. So, without anymore introduction, the “Brown Bomber” album…

Led Zeppelin II (1969), by – of course – Led Zeppelin. Like The Beatles, I think it would be completely unfair and incorrect to say that Led Zeppelin created a brand new genre of music, but they definitely helped radically shape it. Led Zeppelin’s blues and later folk music influences greatly shaped their hard rock sound during the early years of metal.

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and of course Jon Bonham. While not exactly the easily recognizable names of the Fab Four, the Zeppelin’s were definitely heavy hitters respectively in their fields. From Plant’s powerful, bluesy vocals, to Page’s superb playing on his double neck guitar, and their strong writing partnership between the two for their songs. Bonham’s drumming was…simply dizzying, and you can’t forget about Jones. Either for his multiple instrumentality ranging from bass, to organ, Mellotron, and mandolin, or his skills producing the Zeppelin albums.

Led Zeppelin II was the follow up of their impressive debut album, but it was this second album that brought them their initial success. Fueled with the same fusion of electric blues and hard rock of their first album it turned several heads that hadn’t noticed their first output. There’s no “Stairway to Heaven” on this album (that would come later), but Led Zeppelin II is still viewed as one of the most influential albums of its kind. While I really love the acoustic folk influences that are demonstrated in their next album (aptly titled Led Zeppelin III), the non-stop energy of this record makes it a real joy to listen through.

“Whole Lotta Love,” the opening track, was the only single from the album. With its strong guitar riff opening to its unmistakable breakdown, it lit up the charts and was the top song for most radio stations. “Moby Dick,” possibly the “Holy Grail” of drum solos and the song that critics can’t help but compare most drum solos to. While the album version comes in at around 4 minutes, the live versions stretch anywhere from the less often 6 minutes to the more common 30 minute mark. Probably a little self-indulgent, but it was able to truly capture Bonham’s mastery behind a drum set.